


A is for Avian

by PaperDaydream



Series: Grace and Soul (Parent Destiel Collection) [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Arguing, Cute Kids, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, First Day of School, Fluff and Angst, Grace and Soul, Lots of Crying, Lots of stress, M/M, Nephilim, Overprotective Castiel, Overprotective Dean, Parents Castiel & Dean Winchester, Uncle Sammy, Wings, you know the usual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-01-26 10:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1685822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperDaydream/pseuds/PaperDaydream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas prepare to send their oldest daughter, Wren, to kindergarten. Of course, such things are easier said than done when you first have to do things like bind your five-year-old child's wings to ensure her safety. Established Destiel. Part of the Grace and Soul 'verse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wings

**Author's Note:**

> So, I kept wanting to write some Parent Destiel, and here it is! Dean and Cas have two daughters. Yes, biologically. Yes, I have an explanation for that, but that's probably a matter for another whole fic of its own! Which is why this is a series. Basically, it's kind of hard to do this without making it a series, because I'm probably going to write random snippets of their lives that are sort of connected, but out of order. So yeah. You get this scene, but explanations of origins come later. But anyway. I just thought it'd be really cute to write Dean and Cas trying to raise two little girls, and for some reason I fell in love with the idea of making both children utterly obsessed with flight, while Dean is freaked out by the whole idea, so I'm sure that will be explored more later as well. But that's not what this is about. (Well, not mostly.) This is about kindergarten... It was supposed to be short, but I got sort of carried away. Sorry about the long note. I'm excited.

Sam heaved a weary sigh, watching as his brother and his angel husband fussed over his five-year-old Nephil niece, wondering first of all, how his life had come to this, and second, if he was perhaps the only sane person in the house.

“Hurry up and eat, Wren, we need to do up your wings,” Dean told his child, patting one of the dark, downy appendages sticking out from behind her shoulders.

“I still don’t understand why we have to make her hide them,” Castiel grumbled, watching him sulkily from his spot at the table beside them, unsurprisingly not eating because everything apparently “tastes like molecules”.

“Look,” Dean grunted, “I don’t like it any more than you do, but Wren cannot go to school with a pair of wings sticking out under her backpack. Humans don’t accept different things like that. They’d freak out.”

“I think her wings are lovely,” Castiel cut in defensively.

“Of course they are, Cas, but I don’t want her to scare people, or end up in a zoo, or get dissected!” Dean argued.

Cas frowned, but didn’t object. “I will go and get the supplies.”

“Yeah,” Dean said, “You do that.”

“Daddy?” Wren asked, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

“What is it, sweetie?” Dean asked distractedly.

“Will people really dislike me if they see my wings?” she asked.

Dean looked a bit conflicted, but finally said, “It’s best that you learn the truth now. There is nothing wrong with your wings, dove, but nobody can know about them, or that you’re half angel, okay?”

“Is it because I’m an abo-abomination?” the little girl forced out, studying her pancakes.

Dean’s eyes blazed with fury, clearly swearing vengeance upon every one of the angels, monsters, and hunters who had ever dared to let his daughter hear them use that word. “Of course not,” he said, “You are not an abomination, Wren. You’re just special, that’s all.”

“Special in a good way or a bad way?” Wren grumbled, already shockingly perceptive for her age.

“A good way,” Sam said with a smile, “How many of your classmates can fly, or smite monsters? Trust me, you’re the real winner here!”

The child giggled, although she was not yet allowed to do either of those things.

“And if anyone calls you the ‘a’ word again,” Dean added, “Go ahead and smite them too!”

_“Dean!”_ Cas gasped out from the stairs, where he was standing with his hand in their younger daughter, Deryn’s, shocked, “Don’t teach her things like that!”

The hunter smiled innocently, “Just a little self-defense,” he said.

Castiel rolled his eyes, coming over to join them. “Wren,” he said seriously, “Do not listen to your father. It is never okay to smite other children.”

Wren tilted her head in confusion, but nodded. “I understand, Daddy,” she said, although she still looked puzzled.

“Wen!” Deryn cried out from beside Cas, “Wen!”                                            

She beamed at her little sister. “Good morning, Deryn!”

“Wen,” the toddler squeaked out, concerned, “You’re going away?”

She nodded. “I am going to kindergarten, Deryn. I will see you again after school.”

“No!” Deryn whined, reaching up for her, “Don’t go! Don’t go!”

She burst into tears, and Dean and Cas had her surrounded in an instant.

“It’s okay, Deryn,” Wren told her as Cas scooped the three-year old up in his arms, and Dean tried to comfort her from beside him, “I will only be gone for a little while. I need to go and learn. You can come with me, when you’re big.”

Dean and Cas exchanged a glance, but Deryn had stopped crying, so they decided not to tell the girls that they would be in different grade levels. Deryn nodded at her sister. “I come!” she offered, boldly.

“No, Deryn,” Wren corrected her, “When you’re _big!”_

Deryn sniffled. “I am big. I’m a big girl, Wen!”

“It’s okay, Deryn,” Sam said from his place at the table, “We’re going to have lots of fun here, right guys?”

Dean and Cas nodded feverently. “Yes,” Castiel said seriously, “We will have lots of fun.”

“Fly?” the little girl asked extending a fluffy, light brown wing towards her father from where she sat in the angel’s arms.

Dean instantly stiffened.

“No,” Castiel replied, shaking his head at her, “You don’t have your flight feathers yet. You are far too young to fly.”

Dean let out a small sigh of relief.

“What about me?” Wren piped up, “I’m a big girl! I can fly!”

Castiel frowned, inspecting the nestling’s wings carefully from where he stood. “Soon,” he said finally, noting the emergence of her first few short, stubby black flight feathers, which, like Castiel’s own feathers, bared more resemblance to a raven’s than a wren’s.

Dean’s face fell for a moment, and Sam recognized the brief presence of something akin to horror in his brother before he apparently shoved the feeling away. “Speaking of wings,” he said, “Time to tie them up.”

Wren pouted. “I don’t want to!”

“Well you have to,” Dean said simply, “Or you can’t go to school. Cas, pass me those belts, would you?”

The angel nodded, handing them to him. “I am sorry, Wren. I promise the restraints can come off as soon as you get home.”

“No!” Wren cried, “No, no, no, no-”

Dean sighed. “Sammy, could you give me a hand here?”

He nodded, helping Dean to bunch Wren’s wings up as flat as possible against her back, so that they wouldn’t stick out. “I’m sorry,” he whispered throughout the entire ordeal, more than familiar with the feeling of being a freak that needed to hide who he was. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”

With one more little tug, the last of the three belts used to secure Wren’s wings was in place. “There,” Dean said triumphantly, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Wren burst into tears.

Dean swore, and Cas scolded him for using such indecent language in front of their children, to which Dean looked ashamed.

“Look Wren,” Dean sighed, “I know it’s not comfortable, but it’s just for a few hours, okay? This is to help you, I promise.”

“I don’t _like_ them!” Wren wailed.

Castiel appeared to be fighting some parental instinct to run to her and comfort her right that instant. “Wren,” he said quietly, “Listen to your father. This is for your own good.”

“Do they hurt?” Sam asked, but apparently Wren was too hysterical at this point to express coherent thought.

“It can’t hurt that bad,” Dean protested, “I barely tightened them at all!”

“Don’t… _want!”_ Wren screamed.

Seeing her sister’s distress, Deryn burst into tears too.

“Well shirt,” Dean muttered, nevertheless earning himself a glare from Cas.

“Deryn,” Cas said softly, “Deryn, Wren… Come on… Don’t cry…”

Sam sighed to himself. This was going to be a long day.


	2. Reluctance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Sam and Cas continue to get Wren ready for school, Castiel admits that he may not be as thrilled as Dean thinks to go through with the school thing after all.

When the girls finally calmed down, all three of the adults in the house found themselves very much relieved by their earlier decision to wake up several hours early, despite the fact that they’d signed Wren up for afternoon kindergarten. There wasn’t much time left to get ready. Dean headed upstairs to put Deryn down for her nap, so Sam agreed to help Cas finish up the preparations.

Wren was pouting in the corner, now wearing a little black cardigan to cover up the feathery lumps pressed against her back, resigned to the fact that she would have to wear the restraints, but upset about it nevertheless. She glared at them from where she sat; as if hopeful that they would feel sorry enough for her that they would help her take them off.

“Alright,” Sam said with a sigh, “What’s left on the to do list?”                                       

Castiel frowned. “We need to prepare her backpack, lunch, and supplies, and get her shoes on, but I think that’s all that is remaining.”

Sam nodded, grabbing Wren’s small, bee-shaped backpack, which, ironically enough, had glittery white wings of its own. Both of his nieces were, after all, obsessed with virtually anything concerning wings, the sky, or flight, which was sort of amusing, especially because it always freaked Dean out when he saw anything even vaguely implying that his two precious daughters were one day going to fly. After all, this was a guy who couldn’t stand planes, much less his own small children trying to keep themselves aloft in the air without any assisting devices.

Sam handed the backpack to Cas, who had been gathering the scattered assortment of school supplies laying around the bunker, ranging from crayons, to glue, to a pair of small, blue safety scissors (which had also nearly killed Dean to buy for his child, despite the fact that her family owned literally rooms of knives, guns, and other sinister weapons.) “Hey,” he said to the angel, as he settled down to help him, “You okay?”

Cas looked puzzled. “I am in good condition, yes.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “No, I mean how are you feeling about sending Wren to school?”

Castiel froze, hand still left hovering over the box of tissues requested by the supply list. “I am… slightly nervous, I suppose,” he admitted, “But Dean says that human children need school in order to grow and learn properly. I do not want to hold my daughter back.”

Sam nodded. It was just as he’d thought. “But it’s going to be hard, isn’t it? Letting her go to school for so long?”

Cas sighed. “I do not want to do this, Sam. My parental instincts are strong, and I do not want her to be kept away from me, where I cannot see what is happening.”

Sam nodded again, understanding his reluctance. He was going to miss Wren a lot himself. It could only be even harder for her parents. “Have you told Dean how you feel?”

Castiel shook his head. “He seemed so sure of this, Sam. After all, Wren is half human. She needs to grow up knowing both halves of her heritage. I only wish this didn’t mean she has to hide who she is all the time.”

“He is right though, you know,” Sam said, not without pity.

“About what?” the angel asked, resuming his work of packing the supplies into the bee.

“Wren can’t go around telling people she’s a Nephil. It isn’t safe,” he said, watching him.

“I understand,” Castiel agreed, “But I still don’t feel comfortable asking her to repress parts of herself.”

Sam nodded his agreement. “I don’t think any of us are,” he admitted, “But I guess it’s necessary, given the circumstances.”

“I am also worried,” Castiel mentioned, packing Wren’s three boxes of washable markers (only one was required, but her fathers had gotten a little bit overzealous about making certain she’d be fully prepared,) “That Wren will not fit in at school. In some ways, she takes after me, and I’m afraid that it will make her come across as… unusual. Now that I am pop culture savvy, I happen to know that young humans are inclined to act out against any children who come across as different. I do not want to see her hurt.”

Sam hadn’t thought of that. “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he said, trying to fight his own rising panic.

“I hope so,” Cas said quietly, “I am just unsure of how likely it is that Wren will get through this year without incident. She is very individualistic, Sam, and she is still very young. She doesn’t understand that there are parts of her that would be seen as unacceptable by the staff and her peers.”

Sam quickly stood, and muttered something about how he was going to go and make Wren’s lunch, now seriously regretting his choice to question the angel. Before, he had been slightly reluctant to see his niece go to school, but now he was flat-out terrified. Cas was right, this plan was dangerous, and there was a lot that could go wrong. He was now beginning to wonder if sending the girls to school was a good idea after all. But it was just kindergarten, right? Surely this was okay. It wasn’t like they were sending her off on a hunt!

Still, the two worked through the rest of the preparations in silence, Wren watching them curiously from her corner. Both now felt so uncertain about what they were sending the little Nephil into that they didn’t dare speak, in fear of backing out of everything. After all, you couldn’t hide a child forever.


	3. Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Sam have a fight about whether or not they should send Wren to school. The girls may or may not witness most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oh wow, my chapter titles are SO creative! Sorry. Couldn't think of anything.)

When Dean came down the stairs, having finally gotten Deryn to go to sleep, he was surprised to see Sam tying Wren’s shoes, as both he and Cas sat in grim silence. “What happened here?” he asked with a frown, disturbed by the atmosphere.

Three wide pairs of eyes rose to meet his, all full of fear. Great.

“Seriously,” Dean said, now a bit weirded out, “Is the bunker haunted again? You all look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

There was silence for a moment, but Wren shook her head, so he was able to relax a little, knowing that there was no imminent threat to his family. The feeling didn’t last long, however. Suddenly, Cas was beside him, literally shaking. “I don’t want her to go!” he cried, crumpling into Dean’s arms, his normal, collected air forgotten.

Shit. What was he supposed to do now? He turned to Sam for help, but suddenly Sam was nodding his agreement. “Dean,” he said desperately, “Don’t send Wren to school! Please! She’s just a kid!”

Okaaaaay then. This was officially one of the weirdest days of his life. “Dude,” he said, holding Cas close to him, “What the hell? She is a kid. That’s why she needs to go. That’s what kids do. They go to school. Come on, man, you know this!”

Cas didn’t even tell him off for his language. Something was seriously wrong.

“Dean,” Cas gasped out, “She can’t go! I can’t be without her so long! I’ll miss her! We need to protect her, Dean! What if she gets scared, or lonely? What if her wings come loose? What if she doesn’t like it? What if she doesn’t make any friends?”

“Cas,” Dean said, eyes softening. “Come on. You knew this day was coming. Every parent goes through this eventually. Hell, I don’t want her to go any more than you do, but she’s five years old now. She needs to meet other children eventually, and she needs to learn. Trust me, it’s really not that bad.”

“And you,” he said, eyeing his brother, “Are a giant freaking hypocrite! All those times you argued how important school was for you, and you won’t let my daughter have the same?”

Sam scowled at him. “She’s a Nephil, Dean. She won’t fit in there!”

Dean’s expression darkened. A major line had just been crossed. “Sam, she’s half angel, half human. The only other Nephil alive is her sister. She won’t fit in anywhere! Can’t you see why that makes it even more important to try? To at least give her a chance? Dammit, Sammy! What do you want to do, lock them up in the basement so they never have to meet anyone they don’t ‘fit in’ with? To hell with that!”

“Dean,” Cas said, weakly, reminding him of who was still watching the whole ordeal.

“Daddy?” Wren asked, uncertainly, eyes beginning to fill with tears. He wasn’t sure if she’d really understood the whole conversation, or if she was just scared by all the raised voices, but there was no way he was going to let her continue to see this.

“Wren,” he said firmly, “Go wait in the car.”

The child nodded, looking scared, and dashed out the door.

“You can’t just plunge your daughter into some fake, normal life just to make up for your crappy childhood!” Sam snapped when she was gone.

“Don’t give me that!” Dean yelled, “Dad did the best he could, and it’s none of your business how I raise my kid! Maybe the odds aren’t exactly in our favor, but I’m sure as hell not going to give up on her just because she’s a little bit different! I never knew you could be so stupid and prejudiced!”

“Prejudiced?” Sam laughed humorlessly, “ _I’m_ the one who’s prejudiced? Tell me, Dean, which one of us is trying to hide everything that makes your daughters like angels? Which one of us doesn’t ever want to let them fly?”

Cas looked up at Dean in shock. He’d never told him about how worried he got over the whole flight thing. Well, there was no going back now.

“Because she could _die,_ Sam! I don’t want her to learn to fly, because she could _die!_ She’s not going to die at school! You know what; I think you’re just jealous that Wren is getting the normal life _you_ always wanted!”

“Normal!” Sam snapped, “You call _this_ normal? How the hell is this normal, Dean, growing up with two dads and one uncle, two hunters and one angel, surrounded by spells and weapons and talk of monsters all the damn time? You think _this_ is normal? And don’t even try to tell me that both of your girls aren’t going to get pulled headfirst into the life, because we both know that’s bullshit!”

“How dare you even suggest that I would let my girls hunt?” Dean snarled.

“Because you will,” Sam said simply, glaring at him. “It’s in our blood, and it’s in theirs. There is no way they will escape all of that, and if you deny that, you’re crazy!”

“Sam,” Cas said, eyes squeezed shut in frustration, “Dean! Stop!”

“Not now, Cas,” they both said.

“I wish _you_ would go hunt,” Dean growled, “I am sick and tired of you moping around all jealously because I’ve found love and a family, and settled down, and you haven’t!”

Sam’s face fell. “You don’t mean that.”

“I don’t know, Sam. Do I? If you’re going to hang around sticking your nose in my business and getting in the way of my children’s futures, maybe it would be better for all of us if you didn’t hang around at all.”

“Dean,” Cas said again, urgently.

“Not now, Cas,” they repeated.

“Maybe I should go then, Dean, because you know what? It’s always the same old story with you! Every time! You act like you’re all heroic or whatever, but all you ever do is order everyone around and criticize them, and you know what else? Maybe I should go because, as always, you’re holding me back! Maybe I thought that you all _were_ my family, and that I could help, but if you’re saying that’s wrong, then maybe I’m needed more elsewhere!”

“Fine then!” Dean snapped, “Who needs you?”

Sam’s face was transformed by fury. “FINE!”

“YOU GUYS!” Cas screamed, eyes blazing and wing shadows flashing from a startled Dean’s arms, “STOP! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!”

Everyone fell silent, and Cas nodded to the spot at the top of the stairs from which Deryn was watching the whole thing.

“Please don’t go, Uncle Sammy!” Deryn sobbed hysterically, “Please don’t go!”

The brothers exchanged a guilty glance, and the anger visibly drained out of them. “It’s okay, Deryn,” Sam sighed, “I’m not really going anywhere.”

“Don’t make him go, Father! Please!”

Dean melted. “Don’t worry, munchkin. Uncle Sammy’s not going anywhere.”

Deryn let out a relieved sigh and sniffled, wiping her watery blue eyes with the sleeve of her Frozen pajamas, the ones with Anna on the front, which matched Wren’s pair that featured Elsa.

“Look,” Dean sighed, “Sammy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of that.”

Sam frowned at him for a moment, and then shook his head. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have attacked your kid like that. I didn’t mean to, you know. I get why you’d be mad. I’m just worried about her.”

Dean nodded.

“Sam,” Castiel said suddenly, “Would you put Deryn back to bed? I’m sure she would like to see you right now, and I want to talk to my husband.”

Sam nodded, distantly, still clearly shaken by their fight. “Yeah, sure Cas.” He started up the stairs. The hunter and his angel watched him for a moment.

When he was gone, Dean turned apologetically to Cas. “Look Cas, I’m sorry. Sam and I shouldn’t have gone at each other like that, not in front of you, and especially not in front of the girls. That was really dumb of me.”

He nodded. “It was dumb. Don’t let it happen again.”

Dean sighed. “Yeah… I’m also sorry for another reason.”

The angel regarded him curiously. “Why’s that?”

“I should have been more careful about talking to you when I got started on this whole kindergarten thing. Wren’s your daughter too, and I guess I didn’t really ask your opinion, did I?”

Castiel frowned. “It’s not your fault, Dean. I didn’t really give it.”

“Still. I could have been better about it. I could have at least tried to understand how weird this would all be for you. I mean, it’s not like angels go to school…” he frowned, a thought suddenly occurring to him. “Do they?”

Cas shook his head. “Not at such an early age, no. Angels are created with most essential basic knowledge and skills, so it only becomes necessary to train them as they pursue more specialized roles in heaven.”

Dean nodded. “So… Better late than never, I guess… How are you feeling?”

Cas thought for a moment, carefully weighing his words before he spoke. “I do not like this, Dean. It is giving me a lot of anxiety to consider separation from my offspring, and I am worried about what she may face in such an environment.”

“Oh,” Dean said quietly, “Well-”

“Let me finish,” Cas cut him off, “Like I said, I don’t like this, and I’m going mad with worry, but… I think you may be right, Dean. I cannot deny that it would be good for Wren to get away from us and out of the bunker to experience her world. She needs to see what it is to be human, just as she needs to see what it is to be an angel,”(he gave him a pointed look, making Dean think guiltily of the wing binding and his fear of flight,) “and I think that this may be a good place for her to start. I do not want her to lose any opportunity, or any part of who she is, just because I’m being selfish and want to spend more time with her.”

Dean took a deep breath. “So…”

“So,” Cas repeated, awkwardly.

Dean met his eyes. “You ready?”

The angel hesitated, and then nodded. “I am ready, Dean.”

“Okay,” he said, softly. “I think we’ll only be like five minutes late if we leave right now.”

Cas nodded. “Let’s do this,” he said, “Before I have second thoughts.”

They left a quick note to Sam about where they were going, asking him to watch Deryn for a bit, gathered Wren’s things, and headed out to the Impala.

It was a big step for all of them, but one that they had to take.


	4. Coloring Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is definitely not having any doubts, if you were wondering. Nope. None at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Just a reminder, don't be afraid to comment. I like to know what you think. You are all awesome. Enjoy!

It was weirdly silent in the car on the way to Wren's kindergarten class. Dean put on his music, as usual, but nobody sang along, or spoke more than a few words. Wren had gotten out her coloring book, which featured different types of birds on every page, and had started focusing intently on coloring an Eastern Screech-Owl in a very unnatural shade of sunshine yellow crayon. With the typical poor fine motor skills of a five year old child, she had a difficult time staying in the lines, and would every so often make a small frustrated sound before scribbling away furiously at the picture. Dean finally sighed from up in the front seat. "Wren, sweetheart. It doesn't have to be perfect. "

"Yes it does!" The child argued, stabbing at the picture with her crayon, "It needs to be accu... accurate!" She pressed down particularly hard with the crayon, and it snapped in two. Her eyes widened in horror, and she turned to Cas beside her. "Oops," she whispered, “I broke it."

Dean rolled his eyes. “Wren, you have a whole box of crayons back there. Just get a new one."

She shook her head, staring up at him tearfully. "They're the wrong color. They won't match!"

Dean sighed. Leave it to Wren to be the one kindergartner who could not only differentiate between colors, but was particular about the specific shade. He couldn't do this right now. He was driving. "Cas?"

The angel nodded, grabbing the plastic box from under the seat in front of him. "I'm sure there must be something close somewhere in here. I will help you look."

Wren sniffled, but nodded, and they started searching.

Dean tried hard to focus on the road ahead. Even if this was all his idea, he couldn't help but feel worried about sending his quirky little girl to school. Castiel and Sam were right, of course. It was a real gamble to let such a small child with such a big, important secret go out in public without anyone to watch over her. Still, he couldn't possibly back down on this. Sending Wren to school was a big step away from the typical hunter's lifestyle. If he wanted her to ever have even the smallest chance of escaping the life he'd grown up in, then he couldn't simply hide her in the bunker forever. He knew that this wasn't going to save her from getting involved in hunting in itself, but at least it was a start.

"Did you find a crayon?" Dean asked, trying to take his mind off the subject.

"We found _a_ crayon," Cas responded.

"It isn't the right one," Wren muttered, showing him.

Dean grunted. "It's yellow, isn’t it? I'm sure nobody will notice."

"Of course they will notice, Dean. The first color was sunshine yellow. This one is more of a yellow-green," Cas argued.

Dean shot him a look. "Wow. Thanks a lot, Cas. Can't you just use it and pretend, Wren?"

She shook her head, lip protruding in a stubborn little pout.

_Great. Here come the waterworks._

Cas frowned thoughtfully. "Why don't you start a new picture, and come back to this one when you have acquired a shade more suitable to your artistic vision?"

Wren thought about it for a second, and then beamed. "Yeah! That would work! Thanks, Daddy! " She flipped to a new page, featuring a singing Meadowlark.

Dean breathed a small sigh of relief. He really didn't want to be that parent dragging in a sobbing child. Not today.

There were a few more minutes of silence before Dean pulled the Impala up in front of Wren's school. "Here we are!" He said, feigning excitement with a big smile for the benefit of his daughter and Castiel, who still looked suspiciously nervous.

The angel nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yes. Here we are... Wren, did you get your backpack?"

The child held it up. "Could I possibly bring my coloring book?” she asked.

Dean shrugged, "I don't see why not," and she shrugged back, shoving it in her backpack with the rest of her supplies.

"You ready?" Dean asked, although he was uncertain whether he was really asking his daughter or his husband, or even himself.

Cas and Wren both nodded.

"I'm ready," said Wren.

"Let's do this,” Castiel agreed grimly.

They all climbed out of the car, Cas helping Wren to jump out.

"Alright," Dean said, “Let's go."

They had only taken a couple of steps when Wren suddenly stopped and turned to her parents. "Is something wrong?” she asked, tilting her head in puzzlement, just like Cas always did.

Cas subconsciously imitated the movement. "I don't think so," he said slowly, "Why do you ask?"

Wren stared down at her feet, “I don't know... You just both seem really tense. This is going to be a good thing, right?"

The two exchanged a look. "What do you think?" Dean finally asked. "Are you excited, Wren?"

The little girl thought for a moment, and then smiled shyly. "I think I am," she admitted. "This sounds like fun! I haven't met a lot of other children before... Maybe I will make some friends?"

Dean smiled back at her, trying to ignore the slightly sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Yeah. Yeah, of course, Wren. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends."

Wren beamed. "Then, yes. I am very, very excited! I have never had a friend before."

With that, she took off skipping towards the front door, her dark, braided hair bouncing along behind her like her wings normally would.

Dean and Cas exchanged a guilty glance.

"Well. That's that then, I guess..." Dean sighed.

Castiel nodded. "If she can do this, so can I," he said, looking vastly relieved.

"Yeah," Dean said quietly, “I guess..."

Cas frowned at him. "You aren't having second thoughts, are you?”

"Nah man," Dean said, forcing a smile, "Of course not. If she's cool with it, so am I."

Cas nodded, but continued staring suspiciously at him for a moment longer before continuing on his way after Wren.

Dean gulped. He wasn't having second thoughts... right?


End file.
